When the Last Oak Leaf Falls
by Flight-of-Hawks
Summary: I'm doing a retelling of Fable: The Lost Chapters. But this will be an AU. I call the Hero of Oakvale, Leo. This will be my head-canon that will be implemented into my Fable 2 and 3 fanfictions. Hope you enjoy. Also, there will be romance. :)
1. The Beginning

(Oakvale)

A young boy with a patchy white shirt, red shorts and sandals named Leo sits on the porch with his gloved-hand casually holding his head while he naps. Dreaming of one day becoming a great Hero like his mother, Scarlet Robe, used to be before the thought of settling down ever came to her stubborn mind. What he doesn't know that his dreams will come true in a most unexpected way.

He immediately wakes to the sound of his father, Brom's, voice saying, "Come on, wake up!"

Leo gets on his feet and says with utter surprise, "Wh-What?!"

Brom remarks his son's mannersomes, "Daydreaming again, were you? Just like your mother; mind always wandering."

Leo scratches his head with a happy smirk, "Yes, Father, I was." He knew that his father didn't quite share the same ideals, but he still respects his fathers wishes.

"Well, let it wander off to find your sister, will you?" His father reminds him, "She's playing by the Barrow Fields gate. Remember, you haven't given her a birthday present yet."

Leo sighs, "Yes, Father." He had almost forgot about Theresa's birthday present. He forgot to give her one last year and his parents have egged him on since. He, however, does want to make it up to her this year.

Brom brings this up, "Don't tell me you forgot to get her one, again? Well I'm not bailing you out this time, son." He then came up with an idea of how his son could earn the money to get the present. He smiles and tells his son, "Hmm. I tell you what, I'll give you a gold coin for each good deed you do around Oakvale. That should be enough to buy her a present."

Leo beams and excitingly states, "Don't worry, Father. I'll buy her the best present I can buy! And I know what she likes, too!"

Brom pats his boy's head and says with pride, "That's my boy! Now get out there, and don't cause any trouble." He couldn't be any prouder for his son, who shares his blue eyes and brown short hair. Brom has faith his son.

The small village of Oakvale was a quiet little haven, consisting on mostly farming. Since the village was so small, almost everyone knew each other like the back of their hands. Neighboring Oakvale, was Barrow Fields, a small trader outpost that borders between Oakvale and the forbidden Darkwoods, said to be invested with equally/or worse creatures that dwell within.

In no time, Leo encounters a girl, named Emily, crying for her lost teddy bear she calls, Rosie. Leo knew her, as she was one of the children he would play with. He didn't like seeing his friends sad.

Leo asks Emily with concern, "What's wrong, Emily?"

Emily explains while sobbing, "I've lost Rosie! I left her and I can't remember where. Her stuffing needs changing today and I can't find her! Please help, Leo! She's a lovely little furry bear with a blue patch on her back."

This was the perfect moment for Leo to actually help a person in need, "No need to worry, Emily. I'll find Rosie for you!" He grins.

Leo scurries off to find the missing bear, though he doesn't know where the bear could be. Other than that, he was happy to help. He often imagines helping people.

Leo comes to the village square with a tall oak tree right in the center. He meets the merchant with a big curled mustache named Murgo. Murgo was Brom's old friend and knew just the right gift for Leo's sister: chocolates. Leo had found the perfect gift, but he has to earn the money before he could purchase them from the whimsical merchant.

The young boy sees a middle-age woman in front of her house in distress. He knows the woman as Mrs. Brimble, her and her husband often have squabbles on menial things, from what he often observes, he has played with their children and they told him that they've manage to patch things up in the end. Like the clothes he wears. Leo calmly walks up to her and greets, "Hello, Mrs. Brimble."

"Oh! Hello there, Leo. Could you tell me where's that filthy layabout husband of mine is?"

Leo was clueless and shrugs, "No, Mrs. Brimble, but I'll try to find him."

"With some woman, I don't doubt! I clean up the house, bring up his children, and what do I get in return? Nothing! If you find him, let me know, won't you?" Mrs. Brimble instructs. She was beating mad, this wasn't the first time she caught her husband with another woman; she forgave him the first time, but she wasn't sure if she will forgive him again.

This reminds Leo of the noise he heard after talking to Emily, which sounds to be two people kissing. He back-tracks to the source of where he heard it.

"Ah ha!" Leo exclaims at the pair, "Caught you red-hand, Mr. Brimble!" He finds Mr. Brimble with another woman, as Mrs. Brimble suspected he would, kissing each other.

The blushing adulterer makes a petty attempt to convince the young boy otherwise, "What?! I was just... I'm... I've never even met this woman. Who is she?"

Leo crosses his arms in disapproval and taps his feet, he knows what he saw: a man who's unfaithful to his wife and forsook the sanctity of their marriage. He was smarter than anyone, but his parents and sister, gives him credit for.

"Look, sonny. Keep your mouth shut about this, right? My wife's at home with the little ones and I'm suppose to be working. But a man should be entitled to do whatever he likes, don't you think? Tell you what, if you keep this a secret, I'll give you a gold piece." Mr. Brimble tries to reason, but Leo is not convinced in the slightest.

"I will not be bribe with coin! I'm telling your wife!" Leo boldly proclaims. He runs off before the man could react.

"Ah, shit!" Mr. Brimble curses. He knew he's going to be put in the doghouse tonight.

Leo makes it back to and tells her everything with simply saying, "Your husbands cheating on you, like you said he would."

The woman praises him, "Thank you very much, Leo. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn my husband into balverine food!" The irate wife runs in the direction of where her husband was.

Leo didn't stick around to know the outcome of the couples confrontation, he had to perform more good deeds, and maybe even over-achieve a little along the way. He felt proud of his accomplishment, he didn't know how powerful a simple choice could be until now.

He comes across a big kid picking on a younger kid, he knew, holding what appears to be a stuffed bear with a blue patch on the back. The young boy was on the ground with a black-eye, crying, clinching onto the precious bear. it is the very same blue-patched fluffy bear he's been looking for for Emily.

Leo confronts the older kid, "What the hell do think your doing?"

The big kid pushes him and says, "What do you want?"

"Stop picking on my friend! He did nothing wrong!" Leo defends.

The older boy explains his reason why he's hurting the kid, "He was irritating me, playing with my sister and her stupid teddy bear. Now he won't give it to me, just because I said I'll rip its head off. I told him, if he doesn't do what I say, I'm going to make his life a misery."

Leo couldn't take it no more and punches the bully square in the jaw. The bully immediately punches back. Using what his mother taught him, Leo side-steps and trips the bully to the ground. The bully gets up and tackles Leo down to the ground and starts to punch him multiple times, each hit getting harder than the last. Leo was far from giving up. He kicks the bully in the gut with his free leg, sending the bully running in defeat. Leo received a deep bloody upper-lip cut, a black-eye, and a chipped tooth from the fight, and tired, but still, he won the fight and defended his honor.

The little boy gratefully thanks Leo, "I don't believe! You saved me and Rosie!" He hands the bear to Leo, "Here's Rosie, Emily will be really happy to see her. Will you be okay, Leo?"

"Thanks." Leo smiles, wiping the blood off his lip, not letting the boy see how tired he is, "I'll be alright!" Leo runs off to do one more good deed for the man who runs the warehouse, the man needed to 'answer a call to nature' and he asks if Leo could watch the stock until he returns. Leo agrees.

The job was simple, but a little boy pesters him to smash the boxes, but Leo simply payed no mind to him. It was not long until the man returned to find the stock intact. The praises him and gives him a gold piece for his hard work.

Leo scurries off once more to give Emily back her teddy bear. She was very happy and leaves to change Rosie's stuffing.

The young boy returns to his father to receive the three gold pieces he need to buy the box of chocolates to give to his sister, Theresa. But not without his father noticing the signs of battle he went through.

"I heard you got into a scuffle with the Chester's boy, and that he was picking on a kid of whom you defended." Brom sighs but then smiles, "You did the right thing standing for that boy, but using your fists isn't always the right way- I keep reminding your mother that too." Brom takes a clean rag out from his pocket to clean the wound on Leo's lip.

"I know, Father. But Mother always said that sometimes you've got to use your fists and fight for what you believe in- I believe it is right to defend those who can't fight for themselves. But I did help other people without using my fists." Leo's states with honesty.

"I heard you helped the Brimbles; heard it from all the way over here actually. And I'm proud that you didn't give into peer pressure when that boy tried to convince you to ruin those stocks at the warehouse." Brom kneels down to hug his boy and gives him the gold pieces, plus three more for a job well done.

"Thanks, Father!" Leo says with utter joy. He waves his father goodbye as he runs to the merchant to buy the chocolates. What he didn't know was that it'll be the last time he'll ever speak to his loving father. Ever again.


	2. Crimson Trails

(Oakvale)

Leo happily jogs to Murgo's to buy the box of chocolates. Murgo was pleased to see the smiling little boy, he pays no mind to the black-eye and cut on his lip.

Murgo cheerfully exchanges the chocolates for the three gold pieces as he says, "Young sir, they're yours. Wish your sister a happy birthday from me now, won't you?"

"I will!" Leo says as he waves to the mystical merchant farewell.

The young boy runs up the dirt road, leading to Barrow Fields, passing under the covered bridge until he finds Theresa playing in a field with a scarecrow by herself. He recognizes his sisters red hair with pigtails, and her pretty pink blouse anywhere; she also shares her blue colored eyes as her father and brother.

Leo was so excited, he vaults over the fence instead of going through the opened gate. Theresa was happy to see her little brother holding the box of chocolates. She greets him, "Hello, little brother!" But then she notices her brothers wound on his lip, "Brother! Have you been fighting? Your upper lip is wounded."

Leo shyly scratches his head and admits, "Yeah. But I was defending my friend from Emily's older brother, who was picking on him. He punched me in the face a lot, so I kicked him off me. That's how I got this black-eye and cut on my lip."

Theresa giggles a little, but she was more concerned for him, "And a chipped tooth. Don't worry, that baby tooth will fall out." She takes out a needle and hard thread, she had been sewing something earlier and she knew how to stitch an open wound like her father taught her, "Here. Let me close that wound; it'll get infected if its not helped."

Leo lets her do this. It was painful with each stitch she pierces through his skin, but he didn't let her show his pain out of 'being manly'.

Theresa notices her brother wincing and not letting out a cry, "You can show your pain, you know?"

"But I want to be strong. Like Mother is." Leo states with admiration for their mother's strength and toughness.

His sister giggles, "I know, Leo. But even the strongest warriors can show pain if they're hurt; mother's just stubborn to admit it sometimes. Don't tell her I said that."

After receiving at least three stitches to close the wound, he felt a little better. Theresa applies some aloe leaves to soothe the pain.

"There! Good as new!" Theresa remarks her medicinal skills. She then gets back to what she was saying before, "Now then. I hope you haven't forgotten what day it is, like you did last year?"

Leo presents the box of delicious chocolates to his sister, "Nope! I bought you these delicious chocolates all by myself- well with Father's help that is."

Theresa opens the box of chocolates with delight, "Oh! Thank you, brother! You remembered they're my favorite! I knew you'd bring them to me, just like in my dream. Say, how 'bout we share these?"

The little boy beams, "Sure!"

Theresa and Leo sat on the ground and lay the box of chocolates on the ground in between each other. He enjoys spending time with his sister, like they were today. The chocolates were as delicious as Murgo described them to be. As they eat, Theresa shares her "dreams" with her brother. She never told anyone, including her parents, of her seemingly prolific dreams, seeing vague events that are to come. She trusts her brother to never tell their parents about them for fear they may not understand. Leo understood her.

"I'm sorry if I woke you last night. It was another one of those dreams." Theresa looks away.

"What about?" Leo asks after he eats the last piece of chocolate.

Theresa shares what she experienced, "I was standing in this field when something happened, but I can't remember what."

Leo swallows the chocolate with delight, reassuring her, "I'm sure it's nothing too terrible." He didn't know how wrong he was.

"Well, it's not that important today. Come on, let's go home. Mother will be back for my party any minute now."

The siblings get up from the ground and begin to make their way home. But before Leo could exit out of the field, Theresa pulls him away by the collar of his shirt, warning him with urgency in her voice, "Wait! There's something wrong..."

All of a sudden, the children hear a man cry, "Bandits!" The man runs in Leo's path about to knock into the boy until. Thud! Thud! Thud! Arrows pierce through the man with deadly accuracy, the man lay dead and bloody. The children were unfortunate to witness such a grim sight. Bandits have indeed come to Oakvale!

Theresa then remembers everything that her dream foretold and warns her young brother, "It's really happening... They're here! You've got to hide, Leo!"

Leo thinks fast, running into the bushes to hide him well. But he couldn't see where his sister ran off to. He begins to shake in fear, but he keeps quiet so the bandits wouldn't hear a peep. All Leo could do was hide and watch as the bandits carrying torches and steel, slaying and burning everything in their path. This was something that no young child should ever witness when he saw a bandit kill a woman right in front of him. The bandits just manically laugh as if it were a joke. He could hear the people scream and beg for mercy for their lives, but the bandits paid little heed and just stained their steels with oozing crimson blood. The bandits took what they could find and burned every building they found.

(Later that night, Oakvale)

After hours of hiding, Leo finds the courage to go back to the village to find his family. He dashes past the slain bodies of the people he knew and up the hill that lead to the now burning covered bridge. Everything became very hot from the fires, making Leo sweat, but he didn't care if he was hot or tired at the moment. He runs across the scorching bridge as fast as he could to finally make it back home. What he saw will forever be burned into his mind for the rest of his life.

"Father...! Father!" Leo shouts with utter horror of seeing him lying on the ground covered in blood. His home burns to the ground and his sister and mother were nowhere to be seen. The bandits had found his families home and killed who they could find with one thing in mind: to find Leo himself. His mother and sister never told the bandits where he was, out of anger, the bandits totured and stole them away. Brom fought to protect his family, but he was no fighter, and was mortally wounded by one wearing a most evil mask and red hooded robe.

Leo moves slowly closer to his fathers body. He kneels down and begins to heavily sob for his loss, tears stain his fathers bloody shirt. The boy mutters, "I wished I'd been faster, Father... I shouldn't have hid... I could have done... something! Anything! Theresa... Mother... And Father... I'm sorry!" He knew he couldn't do a thing to prevent his families demiss, he now believes his beloved mother and sister are dead as well. Or so he thought.

But out of no where, a bandit with a sword in hand finds Leo and was about to kill him. Then suddenly, the bandit fells dead as if struck by lightning. The bandit fells to reveal who did it. Leo could not believe his tearful eyes, it was a tall dark white-eyed man with glowing blue markings on his face, he was wearing purple robes with golden trims. It was none other than the Hero simply known as, Maze.

Maze runs up to Leo and urges him, "We must leave. It's not safe here."

Leo looks up to him and cries, "No! I don't want to leave them!" He can't bear to be away from them.

Maze urges him impatiently again, "They're all dead. You don't want to join them, do you?"

Leo looks back to his father, he knew then that his father would have wanted him to live. He just nods "yes."

"Then give me your hand." Maze extends his hand for Leo to reach.

Hesitantly, Leo touches Mazes hand and suddenly envelope in a bright light. The young boy never felt this sensation of being teleported before; it makes his stomach churn, making him vomit in a nearby bush as soon as it was over and they were far from Oakvale.

Maze obviously finds it disgusting and cynically comments, "Hmm... I thought you'd have a stronger stomach than that. Come on."

Leo flails at the Hero, not wanting to be touched as he snaps, "I just lost my family and you're giving me a hard time!" Out of frustration, he punches the with all his might, but they did no effect on the seasoned warrior. Leo was so tired he could barely stand, he crouches to catch his breath.

Maze rolls his eye, putting his arms behind to not touch the boy. He tries to be reasonable saying, "Save your energy, boy. It's not me you want to fight. You may not realize it, but I just saved your life. There's nothing left for you in Oakvale. And if you stayed, you'd be as dead as the rest of them. Come with me."

Leo could see Maze walking ahead, so he runs beside him to catch up with him. "What does he want?" Leo ponders, "And why did he save me and no one else?" He was too tired to think any further as he walks beside his savior.

Maze introduces himself, "My name is Maze, and I am head of the Guild of Heroes. You must have heard of it. You'll find no where safer in all of Albion. Nor a better place to call your home. And if it's vengeance you want, you'll need the training only we can offer."

"Home..." Leo mutters with sorrow. He was leaving everything he knew behind. Sure he was a little bit happy that Maze- a Hero -saved him; he just wishes that his family were the same. As for vengeance, he doesn't want to focus too much on that right at the moment.

The two come upon the grand view of the Guild of Heroes, it was a grand sight among the darkness of night. The Guild will become Leo's place to call a second home in the years to come.


	3. Training part 1

(The Guild of Heroes)

As Leo and Maze walk down the path toward the Guild, the tired young boy was amazed by the Guilds strong, stone walls that tower before him. His mother once told him stories about the great Guild, and how many would flock to gain both knowledge and power to help the denizens across Albion.

Leo tired legs tried to keep up with Maze as best they could carry him. He was so tired, his legs could give out on him at any moment, it seemed to him. He was dirty from he scuffle he got in with that bully, his clothes stained with the blood of his father, and sweat dripping down his hairs from the burning flames that destroyed his once beloved home.

The two approach the wooden doors that opened to the main hall of the Guild, as Maze continues to talk, "Here we are. I will introduce you to the Guildmaster. He will be your guide from now on."

Leo meekly asks the old Hero, "You won't be teaching me?"

Maze looks away from the boy to tersely respond, "No... Instead, I'll observe from afar to watch your progress, I need to know if I've made the right choice."

"Right choice for what?" Leo curiously asks, like any child would.

Maze glances at the boy briefly and responds with a facade expression, "You'll see when you're older."

The Hero opens the twin doors and they both enter inside to be greeted by the elder/leader of the Guild Weaver. Weaver was the oldest, and most powerful (in Will) Hero in the Guild, he was also wise, and has mentored many students in the past.

"I have a new student. Put him in the dorm upstairs with the girl." Maze advises.

The Guildmaster narrows his eyes, and intently inspects the boy with his old eyes. He could see that the boy was utterly exhausted and dirty from the events that occurred not long ago. He concludes his assumptions, "You don't look much like Hero material to me. But Maze knows what he's doing, I suppose. What is your name, lad?"

Leo speaks up to the elder and tells him everything other than his name, "My name is Leo, Guildmaster. I hail from the village of Oakvale. You see... bandits came with their swords, killing everyone and burning everything. I... lost my family. Maze saved me and gave me a chance to join the Guild to become stronger, so I can fight the bad people who destroyed... everything."

"Is that so, hmm?" He then takes out a health potion from his robe and gives it to Leo for him to drink, "You should drink this to heal your wounds - you've been through a horrid ordeal today. And I bet you are in desperate need of a good bathing, by the stench of your clothes; the bed sheets have just been cleaned."

Leo takes the potion and gulps it down, he felt his energy being replenished in a matter of seconds. No longer feeling drained, Leo stood up straighter than before - no longer sulking. He felt better, physically, but it'll take more time to heal mentally.

The young boy was grateful for what the Guildmaster was doing for him, he needed some friends to rely on, "Thank you, Guildmaster."

"Well, follow me then." The Guildmaster leads the distrought boy to the bathing chambers. The young boy had never seen such a beautiful place to bathe in all his life. The room was very clean with polished Alabaster stones that line the walls and floor. The Guildmaster shows him the soaps then leaves the boy to himself and the tub, while he gets a set of cleaner clothes for him to wear.

Leo undresses himself and slips into the warm water, which quickly becomes a pinkish color from all the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed. Taking the bar of soap, Leo scrubs his entire body and brown hair clean - not forgetting to scrub behind his ears, like his mother told him many times before. Since the cut on his lip was healed, he carefully removes the stitches from the new skin that now formed a scar. This, of course, reminds him bittersweetly of Theresa. The two never really had a single fight, but often teased each other about things - like the time he teased her on about her having a crush on a boy who lived near the beach, she would throw a piece of pie in her brothers face and deny it to be true. And their parents would simply laugh.

"I miss my family!"

Leo begins to cry again. The pain won't ever leave him alone - even the bath water cannot douse the flames that burns his mind.

After the invigorating and relaxing bath, he finds the set of clothes the Guildmaster left for him. Drying himself with a towel first, he put on the white robes, fitting him like a glove. All dresses up. now, he finds the Guildmaster patiently waiting for him where he was before, saying, "Now follow me up to your living quarters."

The young boy follows Weaver upstairs to the dorm. There were two beds apart from each other - his room-mate's bed bing underneath the window at the end of the room, a decorative rug on the floor, and two book shelves.

Leo hops onto the empty clean bed closest to him, as Weaver tells him, "You'll be sharing this room with Whisper, one of our brightest young pupils. She's playing in the Woods right now, but you'll meet her in the morning. For now you should get some sleep. Your traning starts tomorrow."

As soon as the Guildmaster left him alone, Leo covers his face and once again began to heavily sob to himself until he fells asleep. He hoped that this was all a terrible nightmare, that when he wakes, he would see his beloved sister and parents again, and Oakvale as beautiful as it always been. Even in his dreams, he was tormented by the haunting memory of his home burning in crimson fire, and the deaths of his family and friends. He wasn't going to get a peaceful nights rest tonight.

(The next Morning)

Leo feels a hand shaking him awake, he exclaims in joy, "Theresa?!" To his dismay, the dark-skinned girl in front of him wasn't his sister at all. All of what he had experienced was painfully real.

The girl tilts her head with a perplexed look, "Who's Theresa? I'm not her. My name's Whisper. I've been here for a month. Had the room to myself 'til now too. But that's all right."

Feeling embarrassed, Leo apologizes, "I'm sorry... I thought you were someone I knew. My name's Leo."

Whisper beams, as she compares her height to Leo's, "No hard feelings, little lion cub. You must be my room-mate. Hmm. Shorter than I expected." The Guildmaster had told her, last night, she would be having a roommate for now on. When she went to bed, she saw Leo thrashing and talking about in his sleep, breaking a cold sweat with an intense look on his face. She heard him call out for people she never met, she surmised that they were people he cared about, but now gone.

"You're taller than I expected." Leo blurts out without thinking. This made Whisper laugh, thinking it was a joke. He was afraid, at first, she was going to punch him for it. He has found himself a new friend.

"You're clever, kid - I'll give you that! I like you." She said as she pats him on the shoulder, "Well, the Guildmaster is waiting for us in the Map room. You don't want to be late on your first day. Follow me!"

Whisper walks ahead, while Leo followed her down stairs, only to find the Guildmaster not there. Whisper knew where look as she told him, "Looks like he grew tired and left to the training grounds across the river - we should go there. You can explore around here when we're done with training."

The bright pupil leads Leo down the stairs through the dining hall and outside into the Guild's training grounds, where many apprentices trained to hone their skills and become Heroes themselves one day. They practiced the three virtues: Strength, Skill, and Will abilities. Whisper and Leo cross the short bridge over the river, walking on the cobblestone path and onto the grass down the hill. They found the Guildmaster at the entrance of the melee training with a single straw practice dummy in the middle.

Leo runs toward the Guildmaster and says, "I'm here, Guildmaster. I hope I'm not late."

The Guildmaster pardons the boys tardiness and has him get started on melee training, "I excuse this, for today, since it's your first day. All right, lad, it's time to see if you've any potential. Get in the ring."

Leo enters the ring, not knowing what to do, he asks, "What am I to do, Guildmaster?"

"Now then, I want you to hit the dummy as hard as you can. Just keep going 'til I tell you to stop."

Leo hits and kicks as hard as he could, remembering what his mother taught him. The Guildmaster was taken by surprise by the lad's seemingly prior knowledge of combat, but he knew it would take more than his fists if the boy was going to be a warrior - he needed a weapon.

"Not making much of an impact, are you?" The Guildmaster hands a sturdy stick to Leo, "Try this to hit it with."

Leo hits the dummy with the stick this time, it felt much better than using fists alone. The old Hero could now see some potential from the young boy. He had to inquire to him about his way of fighting.

The Guildmaster tells Leo to stop and say, "It looks as if you've received some training in combat before coming here. Who taught you how to fight?"

Leo briefly glances at the stick then back to Weaver as he said, "My... my mother taught the to me... before. She was a great warrior - able to fell many a balvorine in her day."

"I see. Those skills will come in handy. Tomorrow we'll..." The elder Hero suddenly hears the Guild's alarm system, that goes off there was anything loose in the nearby area, "That's the Guild alarm! Sounds like there might be something loose in the Woods. This is a good opportunity to test your spirit."

Leo looked dumbfounded, if it was something big. He wasn't sure if he could handle it on his own, "You want me to go alone? What if it's a large hobbe or something?"

The Guild master assures the boy, "I know there aren't any hobbes around here, for as long as I've been here. I'll wait for you at the Guild Woods entrance while you deal with the problem."

"Okay." Leo gulps. He doesn't know what he's going to find in those Woods, but he has to prove to the Guildmaster that he is Hero material. Like his mother before him.

(The Guild Woods)

Leo looks on the map, the Guildmaster gave him, to see that the path was just a circle with a small body of water nearby; he didn't have to venture very far at all.

Suddenly, the young boy jumps when he hears the Guildmaster's voice, but no signs of him inside the woods. The Guildmaster informs him more about the enemies inside. He tells Leo that there are ten giant beetles, and suggests for him to use the stick he used during training.

Leo grins in relief, he had killed beetles before when his home was invested with the buggers, "That won't be hard at all!" He runs onward to find the large beetles, they flew up and started coming towards the boy.

The boy dodges one of them and smacks one dead with the stick, the beetle screeched as it died. Leo does this a few more times, but then, one of the beetles tackles him hard in the chest, knocking him backwards. Angered, Leo quickly gets up and furiously kills all the beetles in sight. His anger subdues as the Guildmaster calls him back to the Guild.

(The Guild Training Grounds)

Leo's robe was stained with dirt, water, and beetle remains when he returned to the Guildmaster. It felt good to take his pain out on the beetles. It was late afternoon when he returned at around 4:00 to 4:30 pm.

The Guildmaster was pleased to see Leo come back with only his clothes scathed. He was beginning to see some potential in the boy.

"Good work, Leo. Those beetles can be a damn nuisance." From out of one of his pockets, the Guildmaster gives Leo some gold as a reward, "Here. I think you've earned yourself some pocket money for that. If you want more gold, I'm sure the servants could use your help with something. Or you can get an early nights rest."

Leo thought about those options and decides for himself, "I think I'll help the people who need it around here, if you don't mind Guildmaster." In reality, he needed to try to get his mind off of thinking about all that he has forever lost.

The Guildmaster smiles from the boys willingness to help others, he pats him on the head and says before he left to his own chambers, "I don't mind at all. I'm sure the servants will be most grateful for your assistance." The Guildmaster leaves to resume his own duties elsewhere.

Just then, Whisper makes her appearance and says, "I heard you took down those beetles. Good show, little cub!"

Leo felt modest, "It wasn't anything I can't handle. I fought some before once."

Whisper had her doubts, "Sure you did. But anyways, let me show you how to navigate around here. The Guild can be a huge place for new arrivals without proper guidance."

"Okay, Whisper - show me around." Leo was eager to see the rest of the Guild before nightfall. He hopes that he'll have better dreams tonight.

Whisper shows Leo around the Guild. She shows him the waterfall area where students would train their Will abilities - a safe place where they can't accidentally hurt anyone. Whisper then shows him the demon door, no has yet to open it for some reason. The Skill training ring was next, where students would train in Skill: shooting at the dummies that mechanically moved around.

When Whisper shows Leo inside a nearby building, they were greeted by the Guild's cook Abby. She was a petite woman with much time on her hands.

"Hello there, Whisper!" Abby cheerfully greets, noticing the new face next to her, "This must be the new addition to the Guild? He's cute. What's your name?"

"Leo, my good lady." Leo bows. He still remembers his manners towards older woman. Like his father taught him.

"Such a gentleman; wish there was more like you around here." Abby pats Leo's head. She then remembers something very important, "Oh dear! I forgot to bake the Guildmaster's apple pie for lunch today; he'll have to eat it for tonight's dessert, then..." When she glances at Leo again, thinking up a good idea as to what he could do, "Would you be a dear and fetch me at least four to five apples for me? It's for the Guildmaster's desert for tonight."

"I'll be happy to help, ma'am!" The boy beams. He runs outside to the nearby trees to find five cooking apples for Abby to bake. It only took a couple of minutes before he returned to Abby with the delicious apples.

"Here's the apples you need, ma'am" Leo holds out the apples.

Abby takes the red delicious' and thank him, "Thank you, Leo. And call me Abby. Here's a whole blueberry pie, I baked this morning, as a token of my thanks. You and Whisper can share it. But don't eat it before supper."

"Yes, Abby. Let's go Whisper!" Leo calls to Whisper.

The children scurry off to their next destination. But before they entered inside, Leo caught a glimpse of a tall, raven-haired girl wearing mostly in red and black clothes and make-up, with clear glasses and a pasty complexion. Her name was Briar Rose; she was no more than two-to-three years older than Leo. Leo felt as if his jaw dropped from the sight of her - she was very pretty to him.

Leo turns to his friend and asks, "Who's that girl wearing black and red?"

Whisper knew who he was talking about and responds with a tinge of bitterness, "The one you got doe-eyed over? That's Briar Rose. She came here over a year before me (enough time to know her some). She's intelligent, agile, and very arrogant; she tries to best anyone she sees lower than her - including me. She mostly keeps to herself and her books in the library. But she can fight like hell if she wants to; I tried to dual her last week, but she beat me with just her speed."

The boy was curious about her and says, "I'm going to go talk to her."

Whisper chuckles and remarks, "Good luck with that - she'll just shoo you away, she will."

Leo ignores her and walks off near the great Heroes burial grounds to find her talking to a fellow apprentice about beating his record of running to the demon door and back within fifty seconds.

Briar boasts with much pride, "Fifty seconds? I can get here within forty, you maggot!" When she turns around to start the challenge, she bumps right into Leo, knocking out the pie he had in his hand. He falls face first into the blueberry pie with a soft squish sound. This caused great hilarity amongst the nearby apprentices, some of whom were laughing their asses off. Calling him a blueberry, a fool, and other insulting words. But to everyone's surprise, Leo laughs with them! This made the young boys day a better one.

Whisper comes rushing to his side, she was laughing with Leo, not at him.

Briar make an insulting remark, "You know that they're laughing AT you, right, kid?" She doesn't tolerate such foolishness coming from a young kid like Leo.

Leo just smiles at and says, "But if I laugh at myself, then I won't feel bad. My name is Leo by the way." He extends his hand for her to shake. But Briar bitterly slaps his hand away, feeling that he's lesser like everyone else.

"You just in my way of accomplishing a challenge I've accepted, pie boy."

Whisper just had to boast about her friend, "I bet Leo could beat you, Briar. He just got done killing ten beetles with a stick!"

This makes Briar laugh at the pair more, "Beetles are nothing compared to what's out there in Albion: Balvorines can rip you to bloody shreds of human jerky; Hobbes would turn you to into one of them; Hollow Men will make you join their ranks. And many more horrors await you out there in the cold, dark world."

After hearing this, Leo asserts himself and retorts, "I know that there are bad people and creatures; bandits burned my village and killed everyone I knew and loved - my family, my home, all gone. And you are right: Beetles are nothing in comparison with what I'll have to face one day. I'll avenge my family one day - you nor anyone else is going to stop me from becoming a Hero."

Briar smirks, but takes him a bit more seriously, "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But it will take more than that for you to reach my level of skill. Beat this chaps record, and I may respect more, pie boy."

"Deal!" Leo boldly exclaims, "I'll take the challenge of getting to the demon door and back within the fifty second-rule."

"Pff. Fine by me."

The challenge starts as Leo runs as fast as his legs could carry him. He thought of a clever trick to how to get back to Briar quicker: by swimming in the small pond to the demon door, and then swimming back. The cool, wet water rinses off the blueberry pie and sweat off his youthful skin as he dog-paddles to the demon door, then back.

Briar did not expect this, and found him to be very clever indeed.

Leo comes back with one second to spare. The apprentice was very impressed, giving him gold as a reward and gaining some respect from his peers who witnessed it. The Guildmaster, Maze, and even Scythe were watching too from inside the Guilds tower.

"That was amazing, Leo!" Whisper praises and nudges her friend, "You showed Briar not to underestimate you."

They hear Briar briefly clap, then walking up to Leo saying a chasitising remark, "You may have beaten the mans challenge, but you still have a lot to learn, kid. I'll only give you an once of my respect, until you further prove me wrong - which you'll likely won't." Briar chackles as she leaves a soaked Leo and an angry Whisper.

"Ah, don't listen to her, Leo. Leo?" Whisper says. But when she gives him a second look, he seemed unfazed by Briar's insults. He looks back at the water to see his own reflection, and then realising that him and Briar are the same in a way; that they're both hurting inside, though Briar expresses herself in a different light.

"It's okay, Whisper. I wasn't hurt by her words, I need the push if I am going to become a Hero." Leo partly smiles.

Whisper looks up toward the sun, it was setting and the day was about to end, "Let's get back inside; don't wanna miss supper. Shepherd's pie is tonight's meal, I heard." Whisper runs back inside, while Leo slowly follows her.

After supper and a good bath, Leo decides to head to the library to learn more about Albion and the dangers he'd have to face one day. When he got there, he could see Briar reading by herself. Leo tiptoes to be quiet, but it did little good as Briar was no fool.

"I know you're there, pie boy." She closes her book with a red ribbon for a bookmark, "What are you doing here? Come to gaze at my beauty like some of the other idiot boys here?"

Leo blushes a little and tells the truth, "I... I want to study more about the creatures of Albion, and about other places I should know about, to be honest."

Briar was surprised by the boys response, it wasn't something she hears often from the other apprentices. She actually tries to be helpful for once, "Well, we have all three volumes of Creatures of Albion, and more about other lands like the Northern Wastes: harsh territory I heard."

Leo finds the books he was looking for and thanks her, "Thank you, Briar. Do you mind if I read here for a while? I'll be very quiet, I promise."

Briar thought for a moment and sees no harm, "Alright - but if you disturb me again, I'll deck 'ya." She'll try to tolerate him.

"Okay."

For most of the night, Leo read at least four to five books. He made a few slight noises, but none that provoked Briar in the slightest. What amazed her was that Leo - sitting across from her - had an interest in books. She thought she was the only one until now.

A few hours past by, Briar was getting tired and was about to head to bed until she sees the young boy still there with her, but asleep.

Just then, the Guildmaster enters the library and says in a warm tone, "Hmm. The lad must have been pushing himself to learn more. I just hope that he doesn't over do it."

"Oh! Guildmaster Weaver?" Briar was surprised to her mentor.

"Yes, Briar. I thought that Leo would come here to study, instead of instantly going to bed. No doubt this was of your encouragement when you had him take that challenge, earlier today." The Guildmaster raises his eyebrow.

"He got in my way." Briar remarks.

The Guildmaster sighs, he knows her well enough to know what was causing her behavior, "Dd you know, that Oakvale, the village where this young man came from, was burned by bandits last night - forces he could not control? His family were amongst the dead. Almost what you went through over a year ago"

Briar angrily retorts, "My father kicked me out and no one else would take me in! I bet this boy here had a loving family - and a father who would never kick him out... and be blamed for something he could not do..." Tears welled up in the girls eyes.

"I know, Briar. You and him are alike in a way, but Leo tries to be optimistic, while you push people away. Maybe you and him could train together with Whisper in the coming years? What do you think?"

"I don't know. I... I have to go to bed. I'll give you my answer tomorrow." Briar rushes back to her room with book in hand.

The Guildmaster carries the sleeping Leo upstairs to the dorm, where Whisper was already sleeping. He tucks in the boy and whispers, "I know you'll do great things. You've made some good friends here today. Maybe you can help Briar, and each other in the years to come?"

With that said, the Guildmaster blows out the candle on the bedside table and leaves the children to slumber. Leo dreamt better that night, saying in his sleep, "Teach me, to be a Hero."


End file.
